


the inbetweens

by _helios (neocitz)



Series: shitty superhero au [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Drabbles, M/M, Non-Chronological, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 00:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19197556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neocitz/pseuds/_helios
Summary: a series of drabbles and one-shots from the shitty supes universe





	1. jisung -- finding his way

**Author's Note:**

> These are (originally) some drabbles inspired by some cc prompts about the shitty superhero universe. they're different narrators, perspectives, and time periods, pretty much the world existing outside the main storyline. hopefully this will keep growing, I hope that you enjoy these. 
> 
>  
> 
> (thank you for the last two years)
> 
>  
> 
> original prompt: jisung’s pov of joining a new town and meeting the gang?  
> this is set just before the school festival, when jisung is on his way to meet donghyuck and chenle

Jisung doesn't recognise the streets of Seoul during the day.

The further he gets from Residential Base, the more he realises that he doesn't know where he is. He has seen these streets on Naver Maps before, when he first learnt that he would be patrolling this area regularly. But it is different when there are people, and buildings that he has never seen before.

He would be committing them to memory, in preparation for a future patrol, except he is already ten minutes off schedule. Zhong Chenle, threat level 1, had been the one to contact Jisung and invite him to what he called "the biggest waste of money this school puts on". Jisung isn't sure what that means, but Taeyong had laughed and said it would be good for him to make more friends.

 Jisung doesn't exactly know what that means.

 He doesn't see the point. Friends seem to overcomplicate things, as it's Taeyong's friendship with Donghyuck that is making their new patrolling schedule more difficult than it should be. He had thought, when Yunho and Changmin left him to go fight in Japan, that the famous Taeyong would know when to drop dead weight.

 But there's something about Zhong Chenle that confuses Jisung. Jisung's certainly never wasted time on personal connections before this, not when that energy can be poured into more important things like learning how to handle new weapons.

 He doesn't understand why people feel this need to be liked. Especially when it has no relevance to their worth as a human being, and their ability to contribute to society.

 Except, Donghyuck is walking towards him and he's complaining about the fact Jisung isn't dressed properly. (Unnecessary layers that might impede him in the event of him needing to fight.)  And his hands are quicky, his eyes that bit softer and Jisung can't help but feel something warm inside him when Donghyuck wraps a scarf around his neck. He looks over to Chenle who laugh loudly and leads him into the room where Donghyuck and the rest of his so-called friends are.

 And maybe Jisung wants to be liked after all.


	2. taeyong -- first patrol together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> original prompt: can you talk about the first time yong and hyuck went on patrol in shitty supes

Taeyong doesn't know why he did it, doesn't know why he said Yes.

 The kid stumbles behind him, all too-long limbs and big eyes in the way that kids are before they grow into themselves. He doesn't have any of the finesse, any of the natural grace or grit that sidekicks have when they first reach out to a hero. He's not even powered, just stubborn and delusional with the idea of one day being a superhero.

 His name is Haechan, he said three nights prior when he was proud and impudent and insistent that he could be a good sidekick.

 'Can you slow down a little bit?' Haechan huffs. 'The most cardio I get is during Physical Education once a week on Tuesdays, and right now we're doing Yoga. I'm not built for this.'

 Taeyong stops where he stands, looks at the boy who can't be more than sixteen. He's red in the cheeks, sweat slicking his hair to his head. He's dressed in what looks like a gym shirt and shorts, and he looks nothing like what a sidekick should look like.

 'Then why are you here?' Taeyong doesn't mean to be harsh, just realistic because this isn't a game, this isn't the movies and the comic books. He's not here for kids who watch superheroes on the TV and want to play the game because it looks cool.

 'I'm here to learn,' Haechan says, and he looks up at Taeyong with something that Taeyong takes a moment to recognise. It's the same look that Doyoung gave him, all those years ago, when he picked up his bow and followed Taeyong into the night because it was what's right.

 Taeyong's not sure if this kid is ready to be a sidekick. But he's smart, and he's quick and he hasn't stopped yet despite the fact that Taeyong has been crossing the streets at Mapo well beyond midnight. He's determined and Taeyong thinks there might be something there.


	3. sicheng -- an average night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> original prompt: Sicheng dealing with shitty criminals in the middle of the night when he’s walking home and uGH trouble just follows him

Sicheng locks the door of the café behind him, ignoring the buzzing of his phone in his pocket.

 Since walking in to find that not one, not two, but all the people in his life right now are involved in the superhero business, he's been the centre of a very strong and obvious "protect at all costs" campaign. The city can be dangerous at night, they say, and Sicheng hasn't been trained to look after themselves the way they have.

 It was only because Sicheng knew the conversation was going to happen that he didn't burst into laughter.

 He knows that tonight Jaehyun is patrolling, and is in charge of making sure that Sicheng gets home safely. Except Sicheng doesn't want to deal with this, and slips away in a busy crowd near some street food stalls because he knows that Jaehyun won't be able to find him.

 It's peaceful, walking on his own with nothing but the night and his music in his ears.

 Except.

 Sicheng sees the hit coming, he always does.

 He dodges left before the mugger, a kid with a hoodie and mask covering half his face, even starts his punch. There's another two behind him, Sicheng sees it behind his eyelids when he blinks. He ducks down and one of the kids overextends, falling into the first kid.

 Sicheng forgets how easy it is sometimes, and he knows exactly where to aim his kick to get the third kid right in the stomach.

 If he hadn't moved, perhaps they would have told him to give them his wallet, his phone and whatever valuables he has. But Sicheng stopped that before it began. To them, he's probably lucky, hitting and kicking in the moments between that results in them tripping over themselves and falling over.

 It's not, and Sicheng is barely out of breath when the boys fall into each other in a heap, having not lain a single blow on Sicheng in the middle of their scuffle. If he were better, Sicheng might have warned them not to attack people in the middle of the night, might have even been nice enough to say that it wasn't them, it was him and his ability to control a fight before it's even happened.

 But he doesn't, and Sicheng starts his music again and keeps walking into the night.


	4. doyoung -- rescuing cats from trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> original prompt: A little kid recognising the hero’s without their mask (idk maybe mark bc he’d freak probs but anyone tbh) and like tryna play it cool but they’re SO sure and he ends up just shh don’t tell anyone ;)
> 
> doyoung rescues jeno's cat from a tree

It's Doyoung's third patrol on his own, and sometimes he wishes he could look behind him and see Hyukjae watching him, supporting him. But Hyukjae isn't his mentor anymore, and Doyoung is capable enough to do this on his own. His bow is hidden away in his backpack, packed with a quiver filled with the new prototypes that Hansol's been working on for the past six months. 

 It doesn't feel freeing yet, running through the night with nothing to worry about but yourself. Taeyong loves it, he's made sure to tell them all when they have their rare meetings that Taeil isn't very good at organising. But it's starting to feel less scary, knowing that the only backup he has is on the end of a crackling walkie-talkie that might run out of battery at any point.

 Doyoung tends to stick closer to the ground, unusual for a sniper but he's learnt that people are the problem when it comes to most of the fights he gets tangled in. He doesn't look much like a hero, disguised as a civilian just hanging around after university.

 He's about to head down another winding street when he hears a soft, high voice echoing throughout the street.

 'Don't worry,' it calls, and Doyoung knows that this could be a trap even as he begins to make his way down to where the voice is coming from. 'You'll land on your feet, I promise.'

 Doyoung finally spots him, a boy who can't be more than twelve years old wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It's too thin for the weather that's slowly descending over Seoul, turning from a comfortable warmth into something that is almost winter. He's about to scold the boy, send him back into his apartment when he sees what's happened.

 'Cat stuck in the tree?' he asks, not realising that the boy hadn't noticed him until he jumps. The boy turns, dark eyes looking up Doyoung with something that looks a little bit like hope.

 'Yeah, she's just a baby and I wanted to show her what it was like outside the apartment but now she's,' he points uselessly above him and Doyoung nods. The kid is young, the sort of young that usually has Doyoung flinching away because he just left teenagehood and wants to ignore any and all teenagers that come his way. Except this kid looks worried, and the way he looks at his kitten, a grey ball in the tree, is adorable.

'Hold my bag,' Doyoung exhales, rolling his sleeves up.

He hates climbing trees.

(He doesn't notice the way the boy looks at the bag in his hands, the moment of realisation when he notices the bow, and the way his eyes curve up into a sweet, eye-smile.)


	5. jungwoo -- the art thief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> original prompt: Jungwoo thinking about stealing some art and Jaehyun swoops in and takes it first and suddenly he’s got all of Jungwoo’s interest for like 3 whole hours and he realises jae is just 95% a tragic tragic uni student

The woman who clings to Jungwoo's arm is young, pretty and clever as they flit from person to person. If she had less ambition, Jungwoo might have asked her to join his fledgling team. But she's going to do greater things than even Jungwoo will do, and he's happy to stand there and look handsome while she begins to sow the seeds of her own empire.

 He's sure she knows why he's here, why he volunteered himself to be her companion to a dinner party that reeks of corruption and money. He also knows she won't mind when he slips out of her arms and into the crush of socialites and celebrities.

 On an ordinary day, Jungwoo despises these kinds of gatherings. They're led by the people who have too much power and abuse those under them, and he's sure that in time he'll come across all of them so that he can punish them for their actions. But for now, there's a painting on the third floor that the owner bought using his employees' retirement fund and Jungwoo thinks it would look very nice on his wall.

 He slips on some gloves, adjusting his suit jacket, as he makes his way up the stairs. Jungwoo is no art thief, but he's good at what he does and he's determined to finish the job.

 Only, there's a boy standing there with a bright smile and humming under his breath as he carefully removes the canvas from the stretcher.

 'Excuse me,' Jungwoo finds himself saying. The boy jumps, and perhaps he's older than he looks despite his wide eyes and his wide-eyed shock. 'What are you doing?'

 There's a moment, before the boy's lips lift back into a broad grin and okay maybe this boy is Cute. 'I thought you were someone who might report me. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that.'

 'Pardon?'

 'You're Jupiter, right? Owns the Picasso that went on the market last year, up and coming in the whole underworld scene?'

 It isn't often, when someone knows more than Jungwoo.

 'Who are you?' Jungwoo asks, as the boy rolls up his painting and slips it into a tube. He's dressed as a waiter, Jungwoo realises, and has the earnest kind of smile that would let him slip away unnoticed in a crowd. He had planned better than Jungwoo had, and that's just enough to piss him off.

 'My name is Jaehyun,' the boy says, before he walks out the door. Jungwoo promises himself that he's not going to forget that name, or face.


End file.
